Machine for needling non-woven fiber webs

ABSTRACT

A pair of feeding and squeezing rollers are arranged at the inlet of a needling unit for feeding a non-woven fiber web through the inlet into the space between a stripper and a bed plate. A pair of withdrawing rollers are spaced from the unit on the side opposite the inlet to withdraw the needled web. The stripper plate is fixed only at an end remote from the leading edge thereof between the needling unit and the withdrawing rollers so that the leading stripper plate end extends freely close to one of the feeding rollers. The bed plate is carried by a plurality of supports one of which nearest to the feeding rollers being set back behind the leading edge of the bed plate.

United States Patent 11 1 11 1 3,916,494

Kiinig Nov. 4, 1975 MACHINE FOR NEEDLING NON-WOVEN 3,561,081 2/1971Fehrer 28/4 R FIBER wEBs 3,605,223 9/1971 Barth 3,837,054 9/1974 Fehrer28/4 R [75] Inventor: Franz Kiinig, Linz, Austria [73] Assignee: Dr.Ernst Fehrer Gesellschaft m.b.H. & Co., KG. Textilmachinenfabrik u.Stahlbau, Linz, Austria [22] Filed: Aug. 16, 1974 [21] Appl. No.:498,847

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 18, 1973 Austria 8055/73[52] US. Cl. 28/4 R; 28/4 R [51] Int. Cl. D04H 18/00 [58] Field ofSearch 28/4 R [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,391,4367/1968 Fehrer 28/4 R 3,540,096 11/1970 Porta 28/4 R PrimaryExaminer-Louis K. Rimrodt Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Kurt Kelman ABSIRACTA pair of feeding and squeezing rollers are arranged at the inlet of aneedling unit for feeding a non-woven fiber web through the inlet intothe space between a stripper and a bed plate. A pair of withdrawingrollers are spaced from the unit on the side opposite the inlet towithdraw the needled web. The stripper plate is fixed only at an endremote from the leading edge thereof between the needling unit and thewithdrawing rollers so that the leading stripper plate end extendsfreely close to one of the feeding rollers. The bed plate is carried bya plurality of supports one of which nearest to the feeding rollersbeing set back behind the leading edge of the bed plate.

2 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure MACHINE FOR NEEDLING NON-WOVEN FIBER WEBSThis invention relates to a machine for needling nonwoven fiber webs, inwhich a multiplicity of needles are arranged in rows and columns andinserted in needles boards carried by a needle beam which is moved upand down. The needles pierce from above into the web which is movedbetween upper and lower perforated plates, and the needling unit ispreceded by a pair of feeding and squeezing rollers delivering the webto the needled web from the unit and succeeded by a withdrawing device.

If the upper perforated stripper plate is fixed between the pair offeeding rollers or the like and the needle beam, the distance from theweb-clamping nip formed by the feeding or squeezing rollers and thefirst needles is increased. These rollers should not only properly feedthe web but should also compact and compress the web. If the distancebetween the pair of feeding and squeezing rollers and the first needlesis too large, the compressed web may re-expand and may then bulge beforeentering the needling section and there is a danget of a destruction ofthe web or of irregularities therein. This applies similarly to thelower perforated bed plate which, in the known machine, is alsosupported at its forward and rear longitudinal edges.

Whereas it is known to support the upper perforated or stripping plateonly behind the needle beam, between the latter and the withdrawingdevice (British Patent Specification No. 931,611), that machine has nopair of feeding and squeezing rollers and the perforated plate protrudesbeyond the needle beam toward the inlet to such an extent that, even ifsuch pair of rollers were provided, the distance between the rollers andthe first row of needles would be too large to prevent an expansion andbulging of the web.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate these disadvantages and toprovide a needling machine which is of the kind described firsthereinbefore and in which the distance from the pair of feeding andsqueezing rollers or the like and the first needles is minimized so thateven webs having unfavorable properties can readily be needled withoutneed for additional auxiliary measures.

This object is accomplished according to the invention in that the upperperforated stripper plate extends close to one roller of the pair offeeding and squeezing rollers and is fixed only in the space between theneedling and the withdrawing device, and the lower perforated platerests on supports, one of which is nearer to the inlet and is preferablyupwardly tapered and is set back from the adjacent edge of the lowerperforated plate toward the withdrawing device.

Because the upper perforated plate is fixed only behind the needle beamand freely protrudes toward the pair of feeding and squeezing rollers, aspace for means for fixing the perforated plate is no longer required atthe inlet and the perforated plate and the needle beam may extend closeto the pair of feeding and squeezing rollers so that the undesireddistance is much reduced. The means for supporting the lower perforatedplate also permit of this close spacing between the needle beam and thepair of feeding and squeezing rollers because that support for the lowerperforated plate which is nearer to the inlet is set back from theadjacent edge of the lower perforated plate toward the withdrawingdevice. It will be understood that there must be a free space in theneedle array adjacent to said support but said free space may berelatively narrow because the support for the preforated plate tapersupwardly and for this reason requires a smaller space.

An embodiment of the needling machine according to the invention isshown diagrammatically and by way of example on the accompanying drawingin a vertical sectional view.

Needle boards 2 are inserted in a needle beam 1, which is moved up anddown at high speed, and carry a multiplicity of needles 3 which arearranged in rows and columns. The needles 3 pierce from above into aweb, which is not shown and which is moved through the space between anupper perforated stripper plate 4 and a lower perforated bed plate 5.The web moves through a pair of feeding and squeezing rollers 6 and isdelivered by a withdrawing device which is also formed by a pair ofrollers 7.

According to the invention, the upper perforated plate 4 is fixed onlyin the space between the needle beam 1 and the withdrawing device 7 andextends close to the upper roller of the pair of feeding and squeezingrollers 6 so that the needle beam 1 can also extend close to the upperfeeding roller. By means of two adjusting mechanisms 8 of any desiredkind, the upper perforated plate 4 can be adjusted in height foradaptation to webs differing in thickness.

The lower perforated plate 5 rests on two supports 9, 10. The support 9which is nearer to the inlet is upwardly tapered and is set back fromthe adjacent edge of the preforated bed plate toward the withdrawingdevice 7. The needle array is interrupted adjacent support 9.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for needling non-woven fiber webs, which comprises aneedling unit including a vertically reciprocable needle beam, needleboard means carried by the needle beam, a multiplicity of needlescarried by and extending from the needle board means, a perforatedstripper plate defining perforations aligned with the needles, and aperforated bed plate defining perforations aligned with the needles, theplates being vertically spaced to define a space therebetween and theplates having leading edges defining therebetween an inlet for anonwoven fiber web; a pair of feeding and squeezing rollers arrangedadjacent the inlet and operable to feed the web through the inlet intothe space; and a means spaced from the needling unit on the sideopposite the inlet and operable to withdraw the needled web from thespace: the improvement of 1. means fixing only an end of the stripperplate between the needling unit and the unit drawing means remote fromthe leading edge thereof,

a. the leading edge of the stripper plate extending freely close to oneof the feeding and squeezing rollers, and

b. the remote end of the stripper plate extending toward the withdrawingmeans, and

2. a plurality of supports for the bed plate, including one supportnearest to the feeding and squeezing rollers, the leading edge of thebed plate protruding beyond the one support close to the other one ofthe rollers.

2. In the improvement for a needling machine as set forth in claim 1,the end of the one support carrying the bed plate being upwardlytapered.

1. In a machine for needling non-woven fiber webs, which comprises aneedling unit including a vertically reciprocable needle beam, needleboard means carried by the needle beam, a multiplicity of needlescarried by and extending from the needle board means, a perforatedstripper plate defining perforations aligned with the needles, and aperforated bed plate defining perforations aligned with the needles, theplates being vertically spaced to define a space therebetween and theplates having leading edges defining therebetween an inlet for anonwoven fiber web; a pair of feeding and squeezing rollers arrangedadjacent the inlet and operable to feed the web through the inlet intothe space; and a means spaced from the needling unit on the sideopposite the inlet and operable to withdraw the needled web from thespace: the improvement of
 1. means fixing only an end of the stripperplate between the needling unit and the unit drawing means remote fromthe leading edge thereof, a. the leading edge of the stripper plateextending freely close to one of the feeding and squeezing rollers, andb. the remote end of the stripper plate extending toward the withdrawingmeans, and
 2. a plurality of supports for the bed plate, including onesupport nearest to the feeding and squeezing rollers, the leading edgeof the bed plate protruding beyond the one support close to the otherone of the rollers.
 2. a plurality of supports for the bed plate,including one support nearest to the feeding and squeezing rollers, theleading edge of the bed plate protruding beyond the one support close tothe other one of the rollers.
 2. In the improvement for a needlingmachine as set forth in claim 1, the end of the one support carrying thebed plate being upwardly tapered.